Arnett Cooper was elected president of the Hamilton Heights School Corporation Board of Trustees at its Jan. 4 meeting. Cooper was the unanimous choice, receiving the gavel from Julie Davis who served in the role last year. Gretchen Pennington was elected vice president and Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh as secretary.
Cooper has held the At-Large seat representing Jackson and White River townships since 2010. This will be his second time at the helm of the school board during in his tenure. Dr. Cavanaugh (2017) and Davis (2019) represent Jackson Township. Pennington began her first term representing White River Township in 2021. Ben Lehman holds the other White River Township seat and is the newest member of the board. He was officially sworn in for his first term at the meeting.
“I am honored and appreciate the other members of the board putting their faith in me,” Cooper said after the meeting. “As a board, we all do our best for the students of Hamilton Heights schools. We have done this in the past and I have no doubt we will continue to do this in the years to come.”
Superintendent Dr. Derek Arrowood values the strong working relationship between the board, corporation leadership team, students, and staff.
“School boards function from a governance oversight perspective who deal with school issues primarily through policy,” Dr. Arrowood said. “As a collective, our school board members play an invaluable role with a difficult job and enormous responsibilities. Our students and district continue to benefit from the countless hours, tireless efforts, and contributions of our board, past and present.”
The Hamilton Heights School Board is made up of five members, two each from White River and Jackson Townships and one at-large representative. The members are elected to staggered four-year terms.
Except for special meetings, the board meets the third Wednesday of each month at various locations on and off school grounds. The public is invited to attend. The next scheduled meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Student Activity Center Board Room. A copy of the 2022-23 Board Meeting schedule can be found at hhschuskies.org.